European Equities and Emerging-Market Currencies Boosted by Agreement Between Ukraine and Russia

Ukraine's claim that it reached a cease-fire agreement with Russia buoyed European equities and emerging-market currencies Wednesday, while assets perceived to be safe at times of stress declined.

Having hit an all-time low against the dollar earlier in the week, the Russian ruble climbed more than 1% while Moscow's Micex index advanced 3% and its dollar-traded counterpart, the RTS index, added 4.7%.